BYU and UC Santa Barbara won their respective quarterfinals during the USA Rugby DI College Spring Championship today in Irvine, Calif. The duo will now contest its semifinal on Saturday and the victor will advance to the spring final on May 4 in Matthews, N.C., and face the eastern victor.
Attention centered on the Chico State and UC Santa Barbara match (read more), and the teams came through on intensity. The Gauchos took the first lead through inside center Naomi Carrillo, who ended the day with four tries, and wing Lauren Thunen’s first of five conversions. The try-trading kicked off, as Chico State lock Vanessa Somoza and wing Alyssa Pena dotted down and inside center Kelsie Yoder added a conversion; and Carillo scored twice more. UCSB led 17-12 into the break.
Two minutes after the break, Wildcats flanker Jen Brissenden scored, and then shortly afterward, second-half sub Hannah Westfall dotted down. Westfall, who is so influential, added the extras for the 24-17 lead, which the team held for the next 12 minutes.
As the the fourth quarter neared, UCSB found its final stretch kick, and rallied with four unanswered tries in 12 minutes. Carillo (2), Thunen and flanker Elise Bonfiglio scored for the 45-24 win. The challenge for the Gauchos will be recovering in time for BYU, which shut out Stanford in the other quarterfinal.
It took 10 minutes to get the scoring going, but once wing Alisa Baker crossed for the first of her two scores, 10 more tries followed. Prop Pamela Patton (2), hooker Hannah Beagley, lock Elle Peterson and No. 8 Sandy Kanuch dotted down forward tries. Flyhalf Matalasi Morrissette, fullback Kainoa Ah Quin, outside center Rachel Strasdas and her replacement, Tiana Tolman accounted for the back tries. Three different players kicked conversions in the 65-0 win.